After the storm
by DPIH
Summary: Set just after the final episode of the series, Scotty and Lilly have a long overdue talk


A/n: Set just after the final episode of the series, Scotty and Lilly have a long overdue talk.

After the storm

The rain continued to fall hard against the windscreen of the car as they drove back into Philly. Lilly sat in the backseat with Chris, gently stroking her cheek. The baby in her arms, her baby niece (It still felt strange to say this, she didn't even know the baby existed before tonight) was sleeping peacefully, her tiny hand wrapped around Lilly's finger. The car came to a stop at the lights and Scotty turned around to face her, a look of concern etched on his tired face "How she doin'?" he asked

Lilly smiled weakly, she was exhausted "She okay I think, I am worried her jaw might be broken"

"We'll be at the hospital soon, what 'bout the baby?" Lilly looked down and smiled, the baby just starting to wake up and checking out her surroundings."She's okay I think, but we should get them to check her out too" Scotty nodded and turned back around as the light turned green.

The rain seemed to get heavier as they pulled up at the hospital; he found a spot to park the car and came around to help Lilly. He carried Chris into the emergency room, with Lilly and the baby behind him. After Lilly explained to the nurse in triage what happened they brought over a gurney and Scotty put her down on it. Lilly watched as they wheeled her down the hall to another room she and Scotty followed. They were shown down the hall to a waiting room and one of the nurses took the baby to check her over. Lilly sighed shakily and sank down on a couch and buried her face in her hands. She started to cry, and it was like a knife to Scotty's heart, he hated seeing her sad. He'd only ever seen her cry once before when her mother had died, he sat down beside her and raised a hand to place on her shoulder, he squeezed it gently "Lil, it's gonna be okay" Scotty whispered.

"How is it gonna be okay Scotty?" Lilly asked "That son of a bitch beat her within an inch of her life" she looked over at him, her eyes swimming with tears. "Lil, it is gonna be okay. He won't do it again" he said confidently and she slowly nodded, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "You want some coffee?" he asked pointing at the machine in the corner "Sure it tastes as good as the crap we have at the precinct"

Lilly smiled "Why not" He walked over to the machine and inserted some change and watched a paper cup slowly fill with liquid that closely resembled coffee. "Here" he said handing it too her and Lilly took it from him; taking a sip "Err this tastes like sludge" She said her face contorted in disgust. "This should be illegal"

Scotty looked down at the cup in his hands before he also took a sip "Yep, same swill as the precinct" The next few minutes past in silence, the ticking of a clock and the distant ringing of a phone was the only sounds that could be heard. Lilly finally broke the silence "Thanks for all your help Scotty" She said softly "I really appreciate it"

"Hey what are partners for?" he said with a shrug

"But you risked your career, for me, for us"

"I'd do anythin' for you Lil, you're my best friend"

She smiled at her and could feel tears welling in her eyes again only this time it wasn't because she was sad "Your my best friend too Scotty" Scotty draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her against his side, lightly pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "You've always been there for me Scotty. The whole Kitchener thing, with Ed and George before that and I never really thanked you"

Scotty sighed and shook his head "I wasn't always there for you Lil, I messed up so many times I shoulda told you 'bout Chris"

Lilly shook her head and pulled away from him slightly "You were just trying to protect me, in your own stupid way"

"I still shoulda..."

She cut across him "It's fine Scotty, really"

One of the doctors came in and they both stood up "Ms Rush" the doctor asked, checking the chart in front of her

"Detective Rush" Scotty corrected "And I am detective Valens"

"Right, sorry" She apologised "I am Doctor Pratt, I am working on your sister. She might have a fracture of her jaw" Lilly sat down again, oh god not Chris.

"Is that serious?" Scotty asked in a panic, unaware that his partner had sunk back down on the couch. "We'll know for sure after the X-ray and we are also giving her a CT to rule out any spinal or internal injuries" Scotty nodded "Someone will come and speak to you when she's done"

"What about the baby?" Lilly asked

"She seems okay, she up in the nursery. Do you know her name?"

Lilly shook her head "I didn't even know I had a niece"

"We'll take good care of her"

"Thanks" Scotty said and the doctor nodded and walked out.

"God a broken jaw sounds painful" Scotty said running a hand over his own.

"It is" Lilly said without thinking.

Scotty frowned and turned to face his partner, confusion etched on his face "What do you mean Lil?"

"Huh?" Lilly replied looking up at him, snapping out of the trance she was in.

"You said you know what a broken jaw feels like, when did you break your jaw?"

Lilly sighed, she might as well tell him, the cats out of the bag now. Scotty was her partner after all and her best friend, if she couldn't trust him now..."Do you remember when I was interviewing George and he mentioned my 49 report?" Scotty nodded "I don't like to talk about this Scotty, given the choice I would forget all about it but I can't and you deserve to know"

"Okay"

"My mother was an alcoholic Scotty, she would spend most of her time drinking herself into oblivion and Chris and I pretty much took care of ourselves." Lilly found all of a sudden she couldn't look at him, afraid of the look of pity that would come across his face when he heard, so she looked down at her hands instead "One night my mother gave me some money, told me to go get her a drink from the store. Vodka was her drink of choice"

"How old were you?" Scotty asked

"Ten, the store owner knew me and he'd sell me the vodka. So I rode my bike down to the corner store. It was starting to get dark so I thought I'd take a short cut I knew. He was there in the alleyway, he stood in front of my bike and wouldn't let me pass and he asked me why I was out so late." Scotty thought he knew where the story was going, thought he knew what she was about to say and for a minute he wasn't sure he wanted to hear. "I told him that my mother needed a drink" a tear slipped down her cheek and he knelt down in front of her and brushed it away "I tried giving him the money but that's not what he wanted, he wanted something...more...than money"

"What did he want?" Scotty asked softly.

Lilly stood up and walked over to the window, watching the rain beat down against the window "He hit me" she answered "Over and over and over again. I tried to fight him off but I wasn't strong enough. Eventually he took off and left me in the alley, I managed to get to my feet and dragged myself home; my mom freaked out and took me to the hospital. Told them I fell down a flight of stairs. My jaw was broken in two places, they had to wire it shut for a month" Scotty walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh god Lil, I am so sorry" She turned to face him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He gently brushed them away "Did they catch the bastard?"

Lilly nodded "About a month after I was better, I took myself down to the police station and told them what happened, told them my mother didn't know what happened so she wouldn't get in trouble. It was actually Boss who was on the case"

"So that's why he is so overprotective of you"

"He's always been like a dad to me" she sighed "I know I should of told you before Scotty, it's not that I don't trust you, because I do, I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone and I care about you"

"I care about you too Lil, probably more than I should" He brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes "You have been through so much and you are still so strong Lil, you amaze me" His hand slid down her cheek and started to play with the hair that was on her shoulders, his other hand gently caressing her hip. "Since were sharin' secrets I guess I should tell you somethin' too"

"What?" Lilly asked him

Scotty took a deep breath "I think I am in love with you"

"What?" she asked. Scotty looked down, her mascara had run, her eyes were bloodshot and there were still lingering tears clinging to her eye lashes but she was still so beautiful. "I said I love you" he repeated.

"How could you be in love with me?" she asked, shaking her head.

"How could I not" He waited a beat then lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. He pulled back and she was looking up at him, confusion and shock spreading across her face, their eyes locked and when Scotty kissed her again she opened her mouth, deepening their kiss and groaning softly. Scotty's hands moved up and down her back as they continued to make out. He backed her against the wall and Lilly's hands tugged on his jacket. Holding him against her as she felt his tongue slid in her mouth and massage her tongue with his.

"Excuse me?" Scotty pulled away from her and turned around; Doctor Pratt was standing again in the doorway "Your sister is out of x-ray and on her way to surgery. We found a small fracture of her jaw that will require it to be wired shut for awhile."

Lilly ran a hand over her mouth then fixed her hair before turning to face the doctor "thank you" the doctor nodded again "You can wait upstairs on level 4 there is a waiting room up there"

"Thanks again Doctor Pratt" Lilly said and she watched her walk out of the room.

"Maybe I should go upstairs and wait for Chris" Lilly walked over and picked up her handbag and coat, before walking out of the door. "Lil, wait" she turned around.

"Not now Scotty" she walked out of the room and down the hallway to the elevator.

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Lilly had made it up to the surgical floor and was shown to some seats where she could wait; she hadn't seen Scotty in a while so she just assumed he'd gone home. She was torn between feeling relief that she wouldn't have to deal with what had happen down stairs and anger that he had just kissed her, just told her he loved her and now he had appeared to have left. She checked her watch, 1:54am she'd been awake since 6am the previous day, and given the events that lead them to where she was waiting for her sister to get out of surgery, she hadn't had any sleep. Maybe she could just sleep now, her sister would be in surgery awhile and the baby would be in the nursery being looked after, now would be the time. "Lil?" Lilly looked up and saw Scotty "Heard anything yet?" he asked, she shook her head. He walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Can I do anythin'?" Lilly shook her head again "I think we need to talk" he said.

Great here it comes the whole speech about how the kiss was a mistake, how he'd didn't really love her...she'd heard it all before, only this time she was going to say something before he got a chance. "Its fine Scotty, it was just a kiss. Nothing special, we've both had a rough day its fine"

Scotty shook his head "So that's all this was to you? Just a kiss?"

"It was a mistake" Lilly repeated

"A mistake, so, me tellin you that I loved you, you think that was a mistake?" The remaining people in the waiting room, the families and friends of people who were no doubt in surgery just like Chris, where staring at them. "Kept your voice down" Lilly whispered hoarsely.

"No" he snapped

Lilly stood up and grabbed his hand and tugged him down the hall, searching for a vacant room and finally finding one, she pulled him inside and shut the door "I don't know what you want from me?" She asked him. He started to pace, she could see the anger coursing through him "What do I want from you? What do I want from you?" he parroted "I told you I love you, you kissed me and now you're actin' like it didn't happen"

She ran a hand through her hair "You know me Scotty, you know that you can't just tell me something that and except me not to freak out" Lilly protested

"What's to be scared of Lil?" he asked closing the gap between them "I am tellin' you that I love you, that I've been in love with you for years"

She tried so hard not to look into his eyes, because she knew if she did she'd fall apart "You say that now Scotty, you say that you love me now but we haven't even been on a date, you've only seen me at work. How do I know you're not going to walk out when you find something about me that you don't like, like all the others" His hand captured her cheek and she finally looked up at him, the look in his eyes was something that she'd never seen before, could it be...love?. "I have known you for seven years Lil, do you really think there is something about you that is gonna make me walk away from you" A tear slipped down her cheek again "Thought you said you trusted me?"

"I do"

"Then I don't understand Lil"

"I can't lose you Scotty"

"You won't" He said and he pulled her closer and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her. Lilly let herself go, let all her senses once again be inundated by this wonderful man. The feeling of his lips on her, the feeling of his hands on her waist, the smell of cologne, the sound of his soft moans as he kissed her. Suddenly, the kiss was not enough, she needed more...and well they were in a hospital room...with a bed. She groaned and started to push him backwards towards the bed.

Scotty's mind was racing as Lilly's hands slid under his jacket and it fell to the floor. He had to be dreaming, he'd wake up any minute in some chairs somewhere in the hospital. Lilly's fingers worked their way under the knot of his tie and tug it loose. She pushed him down on the bed and climbed up on top of him. His heart was pounding so hard against his ribs; he could have sworn that she'd hear it. A smile spread across her face, which only made her more beautiful and he reach up and pulled her down to his lips again. Scotty's hands slid between them and slowly started to unbutton her blouse, knowing that at any moment she could stop him, but she didn't and now he could feel her hands working the buttons free on his shirt.

He sat up so he could slip out of his shirt and throw it to the floor, before helping Lilly remove hers. She reached behind her back and undid her bra. "Wow" he murmured.

She giggled "There's plenty more where that came from Valens" She said and the next minute Lilly's hands were working free his belt. He stilled her hands "Wait, Lil are you sure you want to do this?"

She tugged the belt free and threw it to the floor and undid the top button of his pants "I am sure" she lowered herself back down to kiss him and as she did so, she pulled down his fly. Scotty's lust shot into overdrive and his hands roamed up and down her back, god he loved this woman. He'd been fantasying about this woman, about this moment for years now and now it was finally coming to fruition. He groaned softly and he tugged her pants down her hips "I don't suppose you've got protection on you" Lilly whispered hoarsely.

"Maybe, in my wallet" he said breathlessly. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his wallet and opened it "Bingo" he said holding it out between his fingers.

"Only one" Lilly inquired "Oh well, better make it count then" she took it from him and tore it open, reaching between them to roll it on.

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"What time is it?" Lilly asked sleepily, her head resting on his chest. Scotty lifted his arm so his watch was in view and squinted at the dial "2:30" he said

"I should go see if Chris is out of surgery yet" She replied and she sat up, the sheet they had thrown over themselves to combat the cold, slipped down. "Sorry 'bout the love bite" he said, his fingers tracing the red mark on her neck "Guess I got a little carried away" Lilly giggled and hopped of the bed and started to get dressed. "I am gonna leave, you wait a few minutes then follow."

"You're the boss" Scotty replied leaning back against the pillows, his hands under his head.

Lilly walked back over to the bed and leant down and kissed him quickly. "See you in a minute"

He sighed happily as she walked over the door and opened it, and checking no one was coming; she slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her. He chuckled then sat up, swinging his legs out of bed, he grabbed his clothes and walked into the bathroom to dispose of the condom before pulling on his clothes.

Lilly approached the nurse's station and looked at the young girl behind the desk, who lokked like she couldn't be any older then twelve "Hi I want to know if my sister is out of surgery yet"

"Sure, what's her name?" the nurse asked.

"Christina Rush" The nurse turned to the computer and typed for a few minutes.

"Yes, she's out of surgery and she's in room 112"

"Where's that"

"Down the hall and to the right"

"Thanks" Lilly walked down the hall checking room numbers until she came to room 112. She walked in, finding a doctor, writing on her chart. "You're the sister?" he asked

"Yeah, Lilly"

"She's gonna be okay, the surgery went well and we managed to reline the bone in her jaw and the wires here will keep it in place till it heals." He said "Now she's not going to be able to eat solid..."

"I know, I broke my jaw once, no solid foods until it heals" she interrupted

"Right, well she'll be asleep for awhile but you're welcome to stay here detective" He replaced the chart at the end of her bed and walked past her and Lilly took a seat in one of the chairs beside the bed. Lilly saw the bandages around her sister's face, the monitors above her sister, beeping rhythmically. She had overwhelming memories of when she woke up after the surgery. Remembered how nice the nurses and doctors were, remembered her mother coming to visit her, drunk as usual, remembering Christina crawling into bed with her asking when she'd be coming home.

The nurse from the desk came in and smiled at her "Maybe you should go get some sleep, she'll be out for awhile still" she checked the IV and pressed a few button on the monitor.

"Is she on any pain medication?" Lilly asked

"Morphine" Lilly nodded "The guy that came in with you two was asking if he could come in, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's my partner. Its fine" She walked out.

Scotty came in and sat down beside her "The nurse wouldn't let me in"

Lilly chuckled "You must have looked dodgy" she replied

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek, throwing an arm around her. Lilly yawned and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Thank you for everything Scotty"

"You're welcome" he kissed the top of her head and sighed contentedly and Lilly finally allowed herself to succumb to sleep.

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"Lilly, Lilly" she heard him calling her name and she slowly opened her eyes. They were still in the hospital room; Chris was still asleep in front of them. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes "What time is it?" she asked sleepily

"6:00, I've gotta go. Let Boss know what's goin' on."

Lilly nodded and lifted her head off his shoulder and watched as he stood up "I'll come with you" she said

"No, you stay here with her." He said

"Tell Boss I made you come with me, I don't want you to get in trouble" Lilly said softly but Scotty shrugged "I am used to gettin into trouble" she chuckled and he lowered his head, kissing her deeply. Lilly wrapped a hand around the back of his head and kissed him back. He broke away and nudged his forehead against hers. "I'll call you later" he whispered and she nodded. He walked out of the room and down the hallway. A soft groaning noise beside her made her turn and she saw Chris had woken up. "Hey" she said

Chris winched and raised her hands, miming writing. Lilly looked around the room and found a pad and pen beside the bed. She handed it to her sister and watched as her sister started to write something, holding it up for Lilly to read

_**It's about time**_

Lilly read and frowned slightly "What do you mean?"

Chris rolled her eyes and turned over a page, writing something else.

_**You and Scotty, it's about time**_

"Nothing is going on between us Chris" Lilly lied, again Chris wrote on the pad.

_**Oh so kissing your partner like that is normal?**_

Lilly blushed "Okay, so we kissed but I am really not sure what we are, he told me that he loves me"

_**I am glad you two finally got you acts together, you belong together.**_

Lilly smiled "Thanks"

_**How's my daughter?**_

"She's okay; the nurses are taking good care of her. What's her name anyway?"

_**Laura**_

"That's a nice name, she's gorgeous Chris"

_**Thanks**_

Lilly's cell phone chirped and she pulled it out of the holster and checked, it was a text from Scotty.

**Just got a call from Boss, He wants to see us ASAP. Meet you at the precinct, love Scotty**

"Crap, I gotta go Chris. But I'll be back okay" Chris nodded and Lilly stood up, she leant down and pressed a kiss to her sister's forehead. "I love you"

_**I love you to Lil, and thanks**_

"You're welcome"

_**Tell Scotty thanks too**_

"I will" Lilly walked out of the room and Chris sighed, she knew that her sister had been through so much in her life. But she smiled at the thought of her sister finally being happy, because she deserved to be.


End file.
